Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant (20 Minutes)
I don’t even like Eggplants, but this Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant recipe is seriously delicious.
Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant is savory, spicy, and easy to make at home.
All you need is 20 minutes, and you can make a Chinese BBQ-inspired Eggplant home.
Plus, the secret spicy garlic sauce is so delicious; drizzle that sauce on top of any roasted vegetable, and I promise it will taste just like the ones you get at Chinese BBQ restaurants!
This Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant recipe will get those that don’t love eggplants to fall in love with this dish too!
I’ll be honest, I am a picky eater, and one thing, in particular, I dont love is Eggplants.
I’m not sure if it is the texture or the taste, but I never liked them. A few months ago, a friend took me to a Chinese BBQ restaurant and ordered eggplants.
I didn’t think I’d like them, but WOW, was I wrong. The spicy garlic sauce paired so perfectly with roasted Eggplants I knew I had to recreate an easy recipe at home.
The star of this Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant recipe is the SAUCE.
I am not kidding when I say this sauce tastes good with EVERYTHING!
All you need is garlic oil, vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil, red chili, green onion, and a little sugar. I have my super easy garlic oil recipe on my blog.
Garlic oil is an essential ingredient in Chinese cuisine and is easy to recreate at home.
I highly recommend making them in bulk as a little goes a long way, and a drizzle of the oil on top of any steamed vegetable is fantastic.
If you have been hesitant about purchasing an Air Fryer, don’t worry, I got you!
To be honest, I was a little skeptical about the hype when I first heard about air fryers and didn’t realize how EASY it was to make delicious meals with them.
As I incorporate air fryers more and more into my cooking arsenal, I realized how many DIFFERENT air fryers you could buy—all shapes and sizes, with different functions, features, and cooking abilities.
I wanted to find the one that fits best in the kitchen, so I set out to test some of the most popular air fryers sold on Amazon.
Check out my air fryer blog post comparing 4 of the best-selling air fryers on Amazon.
Do you want more AIR FRYER recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that you will LOVE!
- Air Fryer Salmon (15 Minutes ONLY!)
- The BEST Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken
- Creamy Air-Fried Mushrooms (10 Minutes!)
- Orange Chicken Wings (Air-Fryer Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 Chinese Eggplants
- 2.5 tbsp of Garlic Oil
- 1-2 Thai Red Chili (chopped)
- 1 Green Onion (chopped)
- 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1.5 tsp of Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
SHOP THE INGREDIENTS
- Cut off the top of the eggplant and air fry at 380F for 12 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the sauce by mixing garlic oil, Thai red chili, green onion, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.
- After 12 minutes, cut the eggplant open in the middle, and using a fork, open and flatten the eggplant.
- Drizzle on the sauce and air fryer at 400F for 7 minutes.
- Garnish with more green onion and sesame seeds, and ENJOY!
Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant
By Tiffy Cooks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Chinese Eggplants
- 2.5 tbsp Garlic Oil
- 1-2 Thai Red Chili chopped
- 1 Green Onion chopped
- 2.5 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1.5 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Cut off the top of the eggplant and air fry at 380F for 12 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the sauce by mixing garlic oil, Thai red chili, green onion, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.
- After 12 minutes, cut the eggplant open in the middle, and using a fork, open and flatten the eggplant.
- Drizzle on the sauce and air fryer at 400F for 7 minutes.
- Garnish with more green onion and sesame seeds, and ENJOY!
Hi Tiffy!
I made this dish yesterday (air fryer Chinese eggplant) and it was delicious! I had to adjust the time a little due to my picking some really large eggplants! The sauce is so delicious! Recipe the way you laid it out was so simple. I sent pics and the recipe to my family to try out. They loved the pics so I’m certain they will be making soon. I have always loved Chinese eggplant so I knew this was a great recipe for me! Always looking for a great air fryer recipe too so this was perfect! Thank you so much. Also not messy at all…easy clean up!
Made this today with two eggplants! One of the eggplants was much bigger than the other one and I found that I had to be more careful as it almost got burnt during the initial air fry step. Otherwise, for modifications for this recipe: I added a bit of Chinese black vinegar to the sauce because I like that tangy taste and I added 1 tsp of honey instead of plain white sugar. I also didn’t have garlic in oil so I used minced garlic with some chili oi. It turned out delicious. Highly recommend this recipe and make modifications with what you have on hand.
Unless you’re not a sauce person, make extra. So simple and delicious.
I just tried this recipe today to use up some eggplants in my fridge and it was so quick and easy and also delicious as a very fast lunch! I took a shortcut and used your kai dong sauces- the everyday garlic oil and some scallion sauce plus green onions. It turned out amazing!